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Bylaws of the College of Arts & Humanities Curriculum Committee

Eastern Illinois University

The name of this organization shall be the College of Arts & Humanities Curriculum Committee (CAHCC) of Eastern Illinois University.

ARTICLE II

Purpose

The Committee shall consider and act on proposals regarding courses and programs, as well as other matters of academic policy, concerning the College of Arts and Humanities.

A. The Committee shall serve as an advisory committee to the Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities.

B. The Committee may act on or suggest proposals with regard to:

1. Policies and procedures governing the curricula for all undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates offered in the college, including but not limited to: B.A.; B.A. with Teacher Licensure; B. Mus.; B. Mus. with Teacher Licensure; and M.A.

2. The addition, modification, or deletion of undergraduate and graduate courses in the College.

3. The addition, modification, or deletion of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the College.

4. Concerns and policies surrounding interdisciplinary curricula affecting one or more departments in the College.

5. Recommendations for the establishment or abolition of departments or divisions within the College.

6. Other items which are determined by the Committee to be integrally related to the curriculum of the College of Arts & Humanities.

ARTICLE III

Members

A. The Committee shall consist of the following:

1. One tenured/tenure track voting member from each department or degree-granting unit in the College. Each department or degree-granting unit shall decide the method of selecting its representative.

2. The Dean of the College, any Associate Deans, any Assistant Deans, and the Certification Officer of the College will attend as needed. These persons are non-voting ex-officio members.

3. Two student, non-voting representatives appointed for one-year terms. Each department chairperson in the College may submit the name of one student to the chair of the committee, who with the vice-chair and in consultation with the Dean of the College will make the final selection from among the students proposed. One student shall be from the Arts departments and one student shall be from the Humanities departments.

B. Terms of Service

1. Each tenured/tenure track voting member’s term will be determined by the department.

2. Eligibility for membership will be limited to tenured/tenure track members of the departments of the College of Arts & Humanities and to tenured/tenure track faculty that hold a majority (greater than 50%) appointment in the College of Arts & Humanities. Those not eligible are: Dean, Associate Deans, Assistant Deans, and faculty scheduled to be absent during the term of service.

ARTICLE IV

Officers

A. Officers

1. At the first meeting of the Committee at which new members take their seats after election, a vice-chair will be elected. The vice-chair will serve a one-year term as vice-chair and succeed to the chair the following year. If for any reason the previous year’s vice-chair cannot serve as chair, a chair will also be elected at this meeting.

2. The chair shall (1) call meetings of the Committee; (2) arrange meetings with representatives of other curriculum committees; (3) preside at the meetings of the Committee; (4) forward all proposals to the appropriate councils; (5) assist in the training of the vice-chair for future responsibilities as chair; (6) consult with persons desiring to bring proposals before the Committee.

3. The vice-chair shall (1) serve in the absence of the chair; (2) assist the chair in conducting the business of the Committee.

B. Secretary

At the first meeting of the Committee at which new members take their seats after election, a secretary will be elected from among the committee members. The secretary will serve a one-year term.

C. Executive Officer

The Dean of the College, or the Dean’s Designate (usually the Associate Dean of the College), is defined as the Executive Officer.

ARTICLE V

Meetings

A. The Committee shall meet as needed. All meetings shall adhere to the provisions of the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

B. Electronic meetings may be held when all items on the agenda are non-controversial. Any member may deem an item controversial within two working days of the distribution of the text of the item to the members of the Committee.

ARTICLE VI

Procedures

A. All proposals submitted to the Curriculum Committee shall be complete and follow the format approved by CAA, CGS, and/or COTE.

1. Departmental proposals:

a. Departmental course proposals must first be approved by a majority vote of the members of the department(s) offering the proposed course.

b. In the case of proposals for new courses, department chairpersons shall consult with their CAHCC representative on matters of proposal format and style.

Persons desiring to bring proposals, other than course proposals, before the Committee shall consult with the CAHCC chair for the purpose of defining the format appropriate to the proposal, and the points to be addressed in the written document.

B. A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the voting members.

C. Agenda

1. Proposals shall be added to the agenda for consideration in the order in which they are received by the Committee Chair.

2. The agenda for each meeting of the Committee must be released to all faculty members of the College of Arts & Humanities prior to each meeting. Representatives of departments whose proposals are being considered will be present at the meeting to discuss the need for the proposal and to offer information concerning such matters as course content, catalog description, instructor, level at which a course is to be taught, and other pertinent issues.

3. If, in the opinion of the Committee, a proposal directly affects a part of the University other than the College of Arts & Humanities, the CAHCC chair may request a joint meeting of the representatives of the curriculum committee(s) involved or other procedures to ensure consultation.

4. Proposals shall be discussed at the next regular meeting after notice to the College faculty by distribution of the agenda, or at a subsequent meeting if the agenda is unusually lengthy.

D. Voting

1. A motion to approve shall be entertained, and if seconded, voting will take place immediately.

2. A delay must be granted if a joint meeting with another curriculum committee is requested or if, in the opinion of the CAHCC, further time is needed to permit adequate consideration of controversial matters.

3. The Committee shall record all its votes by roll call ballot with the exception of matters which can be settled by common consent.

4. The roll call shall be alphabetical. With each subsequent vote, the first voter shall be the person who voted second on the previous roll call. The only votes that may be cast are: yes, no, and abstain.

5. All actions taken by the Committee require a majority vote. A majority vote means more than half the votes cast, excluding abstentions. Actions additionally require a minimum number of yes votes equal to a majority of a quorum.

6. After approval, a proposal shall be sent immediately to the next appropriate level by the chair.

7. If a proposal is defeated, the department may request a written statement of reasons for rejection. Such requests must be received no later than two weeks after the proposal was rejected. The requests must be acted upon at the first regularly scheduled meeting after its receipt.

8. If the Committee requires major changes in a proposal, the proposal is returned to the proposing department for revision.

If the Committee requires only minor changes, and those changes are acceptable to the department concerned, the proposal is returned to the originator. After making the minor changes, the department need only send the proposal to the Committee chair.

E. Executive Actions

1. The Executive Officer may make decisions upon request from the department chairperson concerning the following:

b. Changes in course numbers. However, changes in course numbers that result in a change in a course's level, e.g., from 1000 to 2000, are not permitted by executive action.

c. Changes in course prerequisites.

d. Catalog changes which merely clarify the Committee's intent.

e. Deletion of courses.

f. Changes in course credits.

2. Changes which are approved by the Executive Officer will be reported to the Committee and are subject to discussion and revocation by the Committee. The changes will be published in the minutes.

ARTICLE VII

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Committee in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Committee may adopt.

ARTICLE VIII

Amendment of Bylaws

These Bylaws may be amended by a vote of the faculty of the College. A two-thirds majority of the votes cast is required. The vote shall be conducted by mail or electronic ballot, after two weeks notice of the proposed change(s). Eligibility to vote will be limited to tenured/tenure track members of the departments of the College of Arts & Humanities and tenured/tenure track faculty that hold a majority (greater than 50%) appointment in the College of Arts & Humanities. Those not eligible are: Dean, Associate Deans, and Assistant Deans.